Two Is Better Than One
by LavellanTwins
Summary: Ariwyn and Eragon are sent to investigate the conclave when everything goes wrong. The sky gets ripped open and one of the twins is left with the mysterious ability to manipulate the rifts that are left in its wake. The Mage-Templar war is raging across Thedas, and the Lavellan siblings are now stuck in the middle of the new Inquisition.
1. Prologue

_She hated the rain._

Ariwyn looked up into the crying sky as she held tightly to her sobbing brothers hand. The sky offered her no mercy, only building onto the grief that already had a firm grip on her heart.

_Her mamae was dead. _

_Mamae_ had died from the cough that had taken her during the winter, fighting through the sickness that held her till the beginnings of spring. She had died in her sleep, a peaceful death.

_But she had left them_.

She drowned out the sobs of her father, the pained little gasps her twin made as they clutched tightly to each other. She focused on the soft warmth of the energy that rested in her belly, and watched the rain fall upon her _mamae's_ new grave.

_She hated the rain._

* * *

She laughed at her brother's yelp as he struggled to control the electricity that danced across his fingertips.

"It's not funny Ari!" He whined, shaking his tingling hand with a pout. Ariwyn snickered at him once more before someone clearing their throat made both of the twins freeze. Keeper Istimaethoriel stood at the edge of the clearing with her arms crossed and one silver eyebrow raised.

"And what do you two think you're doing?" Anger laced her tone as she stalked toward the youngsters. The woman didn't hesitate to take both of them by their pointed ears and start dragging them toward camp.

"What have I repeatedly told you about unsupervised magic?" She said in an authoritative tone. The twins share a look behind her back before sighing in unison.

"Always practice in the safety of your sight." They droned together.

"The consequences?" She demanded.

"Demons." Eragon listed.

"Possession." Ariwyn groaned.

"Accidentally lighting each other's smallclothes on fir-"

"Hey, that was one time!" Ariwyn yelled at her brother. The Keeper simply sighed, letting the children's ears go with a huff as she started towards her tent. "Meet me in my tent in ten minutes for your history lesson _Da'fen_." The Keeper calls over her shoulder.

Watching the Keeper leave, Ariwyn reached over to whisper in her brother's ear.

"Were going to have to find a new spot."

"I heard that _Lethal'lan_!"

* * *

Eragon struggled to keep a scream in. He knew exactly what that black dot on his bedding was. And he was quick to stealthily creep away from the spot as quietly as possible.

"Ari?" He silently whispered - hoping that his sister was somewhere nearby. No response. Taking a deep breath, he looked to his siblings bedroll.

Walking over to her, he bent down to shake her shoulder. She only groaned and brushed his hand away with a mumble. He really didn't want to go back to his own bedroll at all.

"A-Ari? _Halani_…" He muttered desperately in a final attempt to gain the young elf's attention. His twin finally decided to roll over. His fear was obvious enough to keep her from getting angry at him for waking her up. Her eyes softened.

"_Hamin. Ma'lin._"

"There's another spider on my bedroll," he murmured quietly. Feeling an embarrassed blush creep its way onto his cheeks, he buried his face in his hands as his sister quietly stood up and walked over to his bedding. He watched her quietly - trying not to grimace as she calmly picked the spider up and set it on the nearby trunk of a tree. It happily crawled its way across the bark, and was out of sight within seconds.

"_Ma'nuven_. It was only a spider." His sister told him, a teasing grin on her face. Frowning, he furrowed his brows.

"At least I'm not afraid of centipedes…" He whispered quietly.

"Th-They're different!"

* * *

Ariwyn held her brother's hand as the branches were painfully tattooed across her twin's face. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she saw the look of pain that crossed his face with the simple but slow swoop of the inking tool. The _Vallaslin_ had been applied to her face only minutes before and she easily sympathized with her twin as his fingers tightened around hers - and a spark of electricity sparked from his hand that was clasped with her own.

Her brother's magic was gentle to her; never harmful or hurtful. The Keeper had brushed it off as explaining it was due to them being twins, and that was why his electricity - nor her flames - ever hurt the other; which she was glad of. Her short temper usually resulted in red curls or bursts of flames to flicker around her in a blazing heat; the same as his rampant emotions could produce streaks of blue electricity that crackled over or around him.

She watched as the last elegant line was etched under his eyes and helped him slowly sit up. Their eyes met as they both witnessed the same _Vallaslin _on each other's faces, and Eragon tiredly smiled at her.

It was yet another thing they now shared.

* * *

Eragon squinted through the rain as he slipped down a rock - wincing as his bare toe hit a jagged edge. His sister Ariwyn was with the Keeper back at the camp. Of course, they were twins and all - but she was still older than him by only a few minutes. Thus, making her the First. And he was the Second. Not that he didn't mind.

Shaking his bangs from his face, he continued to walk along the soaked forest-floor. It was then that he heard a strange cry over the booming of the thunder. He was still rather young, but he had finally come of an old enough age to head off on his own - if he didn't wander too far; courtesy of his twin's rules. Gritting his teeth, he brushed past some thorns before coming upon a small cave across the stream ahead of him.

He remembered the stream well enough. He and his sister used to play there when they were younger. Stepping into the running water, he ignored the goosebumps spreading up his legs from the chill. There in the dark of the cave stood two halla-like creatures he had only seen pictures in books of.

Harts.

Eyes wide. He crept upon them; trying not to scare them off. Just as he was questioning where there mother may be, he got his answer when he came upon the corpse of a giant dark blue Hart with purple stripes lying on the ground. She must have been attacked by the black wolves passing through.

He returned his attention to the two baby Harts with sympathetic eyes. The bigger of the two stepped up to greet him, nudging its head against his hand. He assumed they weren't going to hurt him, and so, he seated himself upon the cave's dry floor. The larger of the two was a dark blue with black stripes adorning its haunch. The legs were one of the most gorgeous features on the animal. The were a pale blue colour, eventually fading to a pure white once you reached its hooves.

The other one was much more quiet. It was observing him carefully - huddled up against the back wall. This Hart was pure white with black stripes. Much like its sibling's overall fur colour, its legs were just a dark blue - leading to black hooves. Looking into its chocolate brown eyes, he clicked his tongue. The other Hart came up to him willingly, resting its head upon one of his knees as it knelt to relax next to him. Amber-green eyes moved to watch the creature once more.

It let out a bleat in confusion. He smiled at it.

"_Garas. Ma eth. Assan._"

* * *

Their _dadae_ laughed, a true happy laugh the twins had not heard in a long time. It had hit the clan hard at their _mamae's_ death, but it had affected him the most. He had withdrawn from the world, slowly becoming a shade of the man he once was. Eragon laughed with him, snorting as his sister used her hands to imitate a Hart's antlers as she continued on her story.

"Poor Assan couldn't hold his head up right with his new antlers and Thalion, that little _ha'ren_, teased his brother after receiving his and almost got him stuck in between two trees." She gasps out, laughing at the memory with her family. Their _dadae_ started his own story, hands waving excitedly in the air as he told one of his past days as a hunter of the clan.

The twins glanced at each other, giving small relaxed smiles as they listened to their _dadae_ across the campfire.

"Your mother came stumbling out of the stream, bow string broke and soaking wet. I don't think I have ever seen her that angry!" He laughs fully, his eyes starting to shine suspiciously. Eragon didn't hesitate, Ariwyn close behind him- as they went around the fire to sit on either side of their _dadae_. He wrapped both arms around them, eyes watery as he continues on his story.

* * *

Ariwyn and Eragon crept silently through the underbrush, and the male twin's eyes narrowed as he heard two deep voices ahead of them. Peeking through some leaves, he spotted two slave-traders next to a wooden cage atop a cart. There were already people

He heard his sister snarl under her breath, and he tried to hold in his own noise of disgust. They'd left Assan and Nalva behind; knowing the great beasts' footsteps would be too loud. They had traveled rather far from their clan. So, they'd had to bring plenty of provisions and supplies. Thankfully, their Harts were safe back at their temporary campsite. The Keeper had finally entrusted them to travel on their own - their _Vallaslin _fresh on their faces.

Keeper Istimaethoriel had sent them to investigate the rumours of slavers in the area. According to a nearby clan who had been traveling, two of their own warriors had been stolen from them. So, the Keeper had sent Ariwyn, Eragon, Durgen, and Rimedur.

Durgen had been left at the camp with the Harts to keep watch. And Rimedur had scouted for them. He was quick with a bow - and he was to be there backup in case something went wrong.

Ariwyn signaled to Eragon, and they both circled around to the side opposite of the men. One of the elves in the cage - a young child - shot them a worried look, but knew better than to speak out. Eragon smiled at her shakily in an attempt to ease the tension.

"We're going to free you." His twin whispered to the Dalish in the cage. An elder one - older than the twins - nodded in understanding. Ariwyn shot her brother a look, and he looped around. Grinning, he flicked his fingers. A streak of white electricity shot from his fingers, hitting one of the men in the back of the head. It only took a moment for the lighting to travel through his body. And the slaver fell to the ground within minutes. This caused a good reaction from the other one - just like they wanted.

His eyes roamed back to his sister as he watched her guide the Dalish elves towards where Rimedur was stationed. Stepping out from his hiding place, he shot another bolt of electricity at the man - stunning him.

Just as the last Dalish child made it out of the cage and into the bushes, four more men entered the clearing. Eragon kept a curse from bubbling past his lips as his sibling rushed to stand next to him. They didn't think there would be more of them.

Nodding to his sister, the stood at the ready, and both shot with their magic. They could be a terrifying duo when provoked enough. He set up an electric current on the ground - paralyzing them - and Ariwyn shot out multiple fireballs rapidly.

All of them hit their mark.

* * *

Ariwyn's shoulders brushed against her brother's as they stood in front of Keeper Deshanna Istimaethoriel. Eragon gave his sister a worried look. Both siblings were rather nervous. They hadn't seen the Keeper this serious in a long time, and neither of them knew what could be the issue this time. She gave them both an indefinable look, and Ariwyn felt some tensions rise into her shoulders.

"I have important news for the both of you," the woman started - easily gaining the attention of the two. "There's rumour of a meeting to be between some _shemlen _at the Chantry conclave. And I would like to entrust you two to go and investigate it."

Ariwyn and Eragon gave her a surprised look, but the eldest sibling was the first to speak up.

"Why should we care of a bunch of _shems _ridiculous meetings? It is none of our business, correct?" Ariwyn asked - anger lacing her tone. Eragon knew why. Humans were terrible. Mostly all they did were insult the Dalish, or take them as slaves. He frowned upon the thought.

But the Keeper merely shook her head.

"This is far greater than you two could understand. The contents of what may be happening there could affect us far more than our people would believe."

Both elves frowned. Eragon finally spoke up. "But, Keeper Istimaethoriel, what are we supposed to do? If it something so grave, why not send someone with more experience than us?"

"I trust you two. You both have more strength than you would be lead to believe. _Da'fen. Da'halla."_

Ariwyn and Eragon met each other's eyes. She took a shaky breath, finally breaking her brother's gaze to give an affirmative nod in the elder woman's direction.

"We will go."

* * *

Eragon hadn't slept in two days. As the issue was urgent; he and his sister had grabbed Thalion and Assan and left as soon as possible. They had barely found the time to say their farewells to everyone. Of course, their father understood the situation, but it had still been hard for him to let nearly all he had left just walk away into danger. He had given them both wooden carvings to keep with them and wear around their necks. Ariwyn had the wolf, and Eragon had the halla - respectively. Eragon shifted in the saddle atop Assan, and the Hart snorted quietly at him. He patted the white fur on its neck and smiled.

Ariwyn was nearly in the same predicament as he, and he gently shook her shoulder to keep her from slipping out of the saddle. Normally, they wouldn't put such garments on their Harts, but for such a long journey, it was required. Personally, Eragon preferred to ride bare-back. He clicked his tongue after his sister had done so as well, and both of the beasts stopped.

They could see the Chantry conclave from where they had stopped. It was a tall building - definitely easily noticeable by anyone who was passing by.

Ariwyn looked at him, and it only took him a second to understand what she was going to say.

"No," he stated before she even opened her mouth to speak.

"You're not going in there with me." She told him, dismounting her Hart and swinging her staff off her back. "Only one of us needs to risk themselves in there Eragon." She says, throwing Thalion's reins to him, before strapping her staff onto his saddle bag.

"But that's not fair. Something could happen to you, and I wouldn't be there to stop it," he replied with a frown. He might have been slightly younger - or even less stronger - but there was no way he could let his sister go in there alone. "What use will I be out here?" She shook her head at him, shrugging on her mercenary coat.

"You will watch Thalion and Assan, and stay out of danger from the _shemlan_ forces that are everywhere out here. This is not something we can both go running into _Ma'nuven_." She says with a sigh, pausing to meet her brother's eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this Eragon. Something-" she groaned angrily, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "I don't know, I'm just really not liking this."

Eragon bit his lip, trying not to let a growl slip past his lips in frustration. He'd always been babied the most when they were growing up. But he knew his sister wouldn't let him go. She'd fight him tooth-and-nail until he decided to agree with her wishes. Just because he agreed - didn't mean he wouldn't follow at the slightest sight indicating something had gone wrong. "Very well. I'll comply - for now. But that doesn't mean I won't come running if something goes awry. So, don't even try to argue with me on that." He finished, crossing his arms.

She laughed quietly, reaching up and clasping her brother hand. "Wouldn't expect it any other way little brother." She says with a smile on her face before she turns and begins toward the conclave.

"By five minutes!" He called after her.

* * *

She blended easily into the crowd of mercenaries; all following some _shemlan_ noble from what she could tell. It was easy to make it inside the foreboding building.

_Such strange clothing, _she thought to herself as she skirted around a lady in robes. The conclave was filled to the brim with what she knew were templars and mages that seemed to circle each other with suspicious gazes. Members of what she knew where from the Andrastian religion all stayed in their small fractured groups, eyes wary of those around them. It made her hair stand on end with how heavy the seemed to be.

At the first opening she saw, she slipped from the group and down a darkly lit hallway. From what she gathered so far, this was the fault of some mage who decided to blow up some _shemlan_ religious building, and by doing that started a mage rebellion. Ariwyn did not understand the reasons or logic behind this, so she could only shrug at the new information. She got what she came for, and now all she had to do was figure out how to get out of this maze of a building.

"Somebody help me!" Ariwyn paused outside the door, head tilted as she listened.

"Anybody please! Help me!" With her mind made up - and with hurried steps - Ariwyn ran towards the door. Her hands go to shove the double doors open, and she is blinded by the sudden bright glow.


	2. Chapter 1

Eragon sighed as he watched his sister go. There was no way he could just stand here without feeling a slight unease as she disappeared into the tree line. Assan nudged his shoulder, and he couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto his face.

"Alright, alright. Give me a second."

Leading the two Harts to a nearby tree; he undid their harnesses, and sat on the ground. Assan kneeled next to him, and Thalion wandered to graze on a patch of grass nearby. Leaning his back against the trunk of tree, he closed his eyes.

"Sometimes I wonder how I let her get away with manipulating me all of the time, _Assan_." He muttered to the beast, earning himself a snort in return. Feeling his stomach churn, he decided to sit up and pull some of the herbs from their packs. He was sure once his sister returned, she would be just hungry as he was. Getting up, he spent the next few minutes gathering nearby twigs and sticks.

Once he was finally setting the pebbles around it, he sat back down. With a flick of his wrist, he started the fire. Eragon pulled the small black cauldron-like pot from a side-pocket on the saddle. It wasn't heavy, but it was large enough to make broth for the both of them. Once the pot was set up, he filled it with some ice shards - and watched as they melted. He wasn't going to chance leaving to find a water source, when he could keep a good eye on the conclave from where he was perfectly fine.

By the time the water had begun to boil, Thalion had returned, and had settled himself down next to Assan and Eragon. Slipping in some Elfroot and Embrium, he stirred the ingredients with a wave of his hand - directed at the spoon. He had brought some small spices with him. Their clan hardly travelled to human cities like other Dalish. But he had snuck some of the few he knew were common. Putting some pepper and some small mushrooms he'd gathered before they left into the soup, he sat back and watched the spoon circle over-and-over.

That was when a loud explosion shook its way across the ground.

Eragon jumped up - light on his feet - and his grip on his staff tightened. It was the first one he had ever received from the Keeper of his clan. His sister and he had matching sets. But she had left hers behind. Assan and Thalion were quick to follow in his steps. They bleated nervously, and Assan backed up - his tail twitching in fear and confusion.

The Dalish elf's gaze finally travelled to where a bright green light was erupting from at the conclave...where his sister was.

Eyes wide, he held his hand up in command, telling the Harts to stay where they were. They obeyed, even though they were terrified. He ran towards the now ruined building - the food now long forgotten and bubbling over.

People's screams echoed in Eragon's ears, as he made his way up the hill. Bodies littered the ground, and he tried not to think about his sister's could be one of them. No, he at least needed to check the top - where the building was. The glow had died down now, and it was just a dull green light in the sky. He could feel the air crackling, and it made him tense up as the hairs on his skin stood up in unease. Staff in hand, he let out a yelp of shock when some rubble slid under him. He hissed as he caught himself on the sharp end of some stone; cutting his hand open.

Getting back up, he was stopped in his tracks as the green light blew back up again. It flashed as bright as it had before, and then it just vanished. Furrowing his brows, he ran around some rubble.

Finally reaching the room, he saw three _shemlen_ beginning to surround an unconscious body on the ground. He may have not minded had that body not belonged to his sister. Leaping into action, he shot some electricity out of the tip of his staff. It zagged its way over to the ground in front of the men, causing them to jump back in shock. He hadn't hurt them; just surprised them enough.

Running to stand in front of his sister, he held his staff threateningly as he glared at the humans. They looked at each other before holding their swords up to him in a threatening manner, officially deciding he must be a threat of some sort. Lighting-blue electrical currents were slowly beginning to snake their way around his body and his sister - forming a protective barrier around them. His ears twitched and he twisted around. There was a fourth person he hadn't sensed.

He dodged the arrow, and it barely missed his shoulder. But it was only then he had rolled himself out of his barrier that was still around his sister and slowly dissipating. Muttering a curse, he stumbled and turned around - and was promptly hit on the head with the pommel of one of the men's swords; knocking him out.

* * *

Eragon woke to a thundering ache _everywhere_, and to having his hands bound - very uncomfortably. Blinking away some sleep from his eyes, he bit his lip as he adjusted his eyesight. It was cold. Damp. Dark. His eyes roamed the room - making a quick note of his surroundings. He was in a small jail cell, on a rickety bed stuffed with hay. Sitting up, he looked over his shoulder. His sister was on another bed - like his. He slid himself off of the bed, his feet padding on the cold and hay straws underneath his feet.

Ignoring the throbbing, he bent down to the best of his abilities next to her bed. He quickly checked her over. She seemed uninjured - minus a few healing scrapes and bruises. Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, one of her hands began to give off a strange green glow. Falling back in shock, Eragon struggle to sit upright. His sister was sitting there _writhing_ in pain, and there was nothing he could do to help her. He cursed his bound hands, and he slowly began to send the smallest of electric shocks into the cuffs. But it did no good. If they had bound them with rope; he might have been able to burn off the ropes and get them free. He was not so lucky.

He took the moment to study his sister's now glowing hand curiously. She was gritting her teeth in pain, and he frowned. There was nothing he could do. Though...he didn't like the light very much. It reminded him of the same very eerie glow that he had seen when he had come upon the Chantry building's rubble after the explosion. Sitting down by his sister's bed, he leaned his head back - touching her arm with the back of his neck in a sudden effort to try and comfort her. She relaxed a little, her fit having come and gone. The glow vanished, and she easily went back into a heavy sleep.

Just as Eragon was about to drift off, he heard the banging sound of a door being slammed open - and he went rigid. He decided against baring his teeth, as he didn't feel like approaching the situation that was about to occur like a feral animal. Glaring at the two figures he could make out by candlelight- though he hardly needed it, he stayed completely still; silently listening in on their conversation. They hadn't seemed to notice him yet.

"She was muttering incomprehensibly a little this morning. I could hardly make out what she was saying. I'm just grateful that her pulse is back to normal for now."

Eragon tilted his head. So, they were talking about his sister? He cautiously peered at the two men. The one who had just spoken was short and stubby. He had a hunched figure, and his face was ragged and worn with age. The other man was lean. He was an elf; dressed in simple clothing. He wasn't another Dalish - Eragon could tell that much. He listened intently as the bald elf began to speak.

"There wasn't much I could discern from the mark. It is filled with unknown magic; strong magic."

Eragon pulled himself back a little, away from the bars of the cell - a snarl adorning his face. Glancing at his sister, he felt at ease that she was still. He crouched down a little lower, hoping the two men would be unable to see him. He had no clue how well a confrontation would go with them if they realised he was now awake.

The bald elf leaned his weight onto his other foot - a little uncomfortably. "There is no telling on when she will awaken. But I believe that if she came out of that rift - causing the breach - maybe she can close it. It is the same glow on her hand; as the rifts are. Though the other one who was with her...why is he here?" He finished, turning to the older man.

"Lady Cassandra said that the report from the men was that this elf had fought them when they showed up. The men were beaten rather harshly too. I am surprised they made it out alive. From what I heard - it sounded like they had just gotten slightly lucky. Many of the people are angered; saying she should kill him. He is a mage after all."

Eragon's eyes widened at that. Kill him? He was only protecting his family from the _shemlen_. It was hardly his fault. They could've killed her for all he knew. He just jumped into defence mode. The twins had always been that way. They had each others' backs; no matter what.

"Well, he could possibly have the same power as the other one...or he is a witness to everything. Either way, once he wakes up, he will most likely be interrogated."

Eragon bit his lip, and tried to back his way to the straw mattress. He could just pretend to sleep, and then think of an escape plan after the two had left. But his foot slipped. He winced at the clang his elbow made when it bumped against the side of the bed; jangling the chains of his cuffs in the process. The elderly man jumped a little, and his head snapped in Eragon's direction. The Dalish elf bit back a curse as he watched the two come closer to his cell.

The other elf studied him closely, and he shifted under the curious gaze.

"I believe he is awake now, doctor."

* * *

Eragon frowned as the woman slammed her hand down onto the side-handle of the chair he was currently occupying. He shot her a glare; which she returned with full force. His hands were still shackled, and he was hardly in the mood to deal with all these accusations.

"I have no clue what happened. I hardly doubt it matters what I say. You'll only deny it, _shemlen_." He growled at her. He had every right to be aggressive. This human was accusing him of causing the explosion and rifts. It was hardly the truth. The bald elf had stayed behind for his interrogation. Eragon had been lucky enough to hear words about "joining the lines". He assumed they meant fighting. A dwarf had joined the rag-tag team as well, along with another woman who had kept to the shadows so far.

He didn't want to deal with these people. He just wanted to get away with his sister: alive.

"You have to be lying. The conclave is _destroyed_. And then we come upon you and the woman alive. You are the only two survivors. How can that be?" She finished in a harsh tone.

"As I said before. I don't know. I was only protecting her from your soldiers." He retorted with a snarl.

He was surprised with himself. He was rarely ever aggressive with people. But there were a few exceptions. Anyone who messed with his family would definitely be on the receiving end of his wrath.

He watched the woman cautiously as she paced, frustrated with his responses, he supposed. He turned his attention to the three persons standing in the back of the room - observing. The bald elf - he hadn't quite figured out any of their names yet - was watching him curiously with an eyebrow raised. The dwarf _winked_ at him. Eragon blinked, and he tilted his head in confusion before moving on to the last one. He had yet to see her face all that clearly, as her cowl was shadowing most of it. She hadn't put an input into anything, much like the rest of the trio.

"If I might add in a word, Cassandra."

So, it was a woman in the shadows?

The Dalish elf watched as she stepped into the candlelight. His eyesight was still a little rusty; he must have done something to his eyes. Blinking, he stared at her. She had a pale and thin face, but she wasn't unattractive. She seemed agile, with a presence that carried more certainty and threat than it did pity. She put her hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"If he is telling the truth, this is all rather pointless. We might as well wait until the other one has woken up. She is the one with the mark. He is not much help to us at the moment," she finished, sending him a look. He tried not to glare at her. After all, she had gotten the dragon-lady off of his back.

But the truth was; he really couldn't know what had happened. And he wasn't going to trust these people with the knowledge of knowing why he and his sister had been sent to spy on the meeting. That might actually make these strangers finally decide to turn on them. Lifting up his chin, he watched them warily as Cassandra came to undo his chains with a key. Once they were off, he swallowed thickly as he brought his wrists to his chest and rubbed them.

"Will you undo her shackles as well? She is as innocent as I." He told the two women, nodding his head in the direction of his sister. The elven mage and dwarf who had been with them before had slipped out of the room after a soldier had come to retrieve them. So, it was just the two women, three armed guards, and the twins occupying the room. Eragon knew that it would be impossible for them to escape; especially since his sister was slightly injured and tired - he was sure.

"Leliana-" Cassandra started, but she was quickly interrupted by the creaking jail cell door as the thin woman entered it. She calmly walked towards his sister - easily undoing the lock without a key. _She had picked it that quickly_. Eragon slowly began to stand up, and three sharply-pointed sword tips aimed themselves at his throat. He immediately stopped all movement.

"I just want to see if she is alright." He spoke slowly, watching Cassandra warily. Leliana had made no moves of her own, and she had exited the cell as quickly as she had entered it. With a nod from the short-haired woman, the men lowered their weapons, and the Dalish elf let loose a breath he hadn't known he had been holding in.

In a few long strides, he was at his sister's side faster than expected. Bending down, he let loose a sigh. She was better. Her breathing had evened out. He held her hand tightly, watchful of the presence of the others behind him.

Her hand squeezed his back.

Eragon jumped in surprise as his eyes met a matching pair. He felt a wave of relief wash over him. He felt much more at ease now that she was awake. She sat up slowly, and he held a hand on the side of her arm to help steady her. She smiled in thanks, but her attention was quickly diverted to the company with them. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she jumped off the bed to back up against the opposite wall. Her twin was dragged with her. He gave her a reassuring look, and she loosened her tense shoulders.

"We must listen and trust them - for now. I sense no ill intent." He whispered to her, knowing the others hadn't heard.

The next few minutes were spent with Cassandra's accusing tone once again echoing itself throughout the dungeon. Eragon stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his sibling, helping to support her still slightly weak stature. As stubborn as she was, she had refused to sit in the same rickety wooden chair he had woken up in. There wasn't much different said from his sister's story. She couldn't remember what had happened. So, they were stuck in a rut.

The twins studied the Seeker as she ordered the other agent to head on towards the Forward Camp. Leliana nodded her head, hiding a glare under her cowl as she left the dungeons. Cassandra then turned her attention to the two Dalish. She stared them down for a moment, before turning on her heel to leave. "Follow me."

Ariwyn and Eragon shot each other a look, before she pushed herself off of her brother to follow after the woman. Her brother shot the guards one last wary look as he turned his back on them to follow. Once they made it out, both elves had to blink a few times - letting their eyes adjust to the sunlight. Cassandra turned back to them and stopped walking.

"There was an explosion at the Conclave. Shortly after, this appeared in the sky," she spoke as she gestured to the large Rift in the sky. Eragon's eyes widened along with his sister's. That hadn't been there when he had run to Ariwyn's aid before. He had known of the explosion; as he had felt it. "If it continues to grow, eventually it will swallow the world. Demons fall from it constantly, and smaller rifts are popping up everywhere, spitting out even more demons. We are becoming overrun. And you," the dragon-lady then directed her attention to his sister. Though now her face seemed to be taking on a more considering and thoughtful expression compared to her earlier anger. "You fell out of one. The original one - at the Conclave. And you're telling me that neither of you know of anything that occurred?"

Eragon shook his head - his eyes meeting his sister's. Ariwyn then turned her attention back to Cassandra. "I do not recall anything that occurred after I entered the Conclave. And I had ordered Eragon to stay back at the camp to wait for me."

The Seeker then looked at him expectantly, but all he could do was shake his head and frown. "It is as I told you before. I only saw a green flash, and I ran to her aid when your soldiers had surrounded her. I was only able to see and feel the explosion from where I was positioned." But the bodies - the bodies he would not forget. He had to repress a shiver at the thought. He had yet to tell his sister of the gruesome sight. People had hardly had time to react before they were frozen in place and killed. It had been like looking at burnt statues.

Cassandra only sighed as she spoke to Ariwyn once more. "The Mark on your hand is growing. If it keeps going as it is, you will die." She stated. Eragon felt a painful stab to his chest at those words. His sister was _dying?_

"You believe the Mark may be able to close the Rift." His sister spoke before he could butt in with his own input.

"Yes. I do." The Seeker responded.

Eragon needed only a split second before he saw a determined look place itself upon his twin's face.

"Very well. I will hel-"

"We. We will help." He confirmed, stepping up next to his sibling. She glared at me, but he only returned it in spite. "I may not be able to close these - rifts - as you say, but I can still fight. And I wouldn't dare let my sister go in alone."

"Eragon. You must return to the camp." She tried to reason with him.

But he just shook his head.

"For all we know, the Keeper has already moved it. There would be no point."

Their argument was over as they turned at the sound of footsteps. Cassandra was walking on ahead - expecting them to follow. His sister shot him a worried glance, and he shrugged it off as he trailed after the two woman. Once they got closer to the gates, he flinched and moved closer to his sister as more people began to appear. They were all along the path in various tents and homes, conversing with one another. Almost all conversation stopped as they passed by. Icy glares were sent their way, and it felt to Eragon as if daggers were digging into the back of his neck and head. He didn't feel this comfortable being around such a large group of _shemlen_, and he immediately felt all of his earlier confidence drain out of him.

"They have decided your guilt." He heard Cassandra barely speak ahead of them, his hand finding its way to his twin's. "They need it. They need someone to blame right now, in their grief for Divine Justinia. For them, that is the both of you." Ariwyn squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back. As if them being Dalish wasn't enough, now if was even worse.

Once they had made it to away from the people, he felt the tension in his shoulders loosen. He studied the snowy mountain path they were travelling on, and then looked at his sister. She just smiled reassuringly as they both continued to follow the human in front of them. "Where are we going?" Ariwyn finally spoke up, raising her eyebrow.

"To the Forward Camp, and to show you the rifts. Hopefully, we can put that mark to good use." Cassandra replied sternly. Suddenly, a ringing pulse resonated throughout the area, and his sibling fell to her knees - nearly dragging Eragon with her. He held his stance, and quietly helped his sister back up. She was quick to lean against his shoulder for support, and he was glad to help. It had seemed for a moment that the Seeker herself had about to have attempted to help the Dalish elf up, but was quick to shake off the shock. Of course he would catch her and help her up. She was his _ma'lin_.

"The pulses are coming faster now. The larger the Rift grows, the more rifts that appear, and the more demons we face."

A troubled look adorned both twins faces as Ariwyn nodded slowly. "How could I have survived the blast?" She asked the woman, and Eragon agreed it was an interesting question.

The dragon-lady quickly turned hesitant, but she reluctantly spoke. "They said you...stepped out of a Rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was behind you. No one knows who she was. Everything farther in the valley was laid to waste, including the Temple of Sacred Ashes. I supposed you'll see soon enough." Eragon let out a deep breath. That had been in the opposite direction of his camp. He had hardly missed becoming a burnt corpse himself.

Ariwyn was surely contemplating and calculating who the woman could be, or if there was a plausible explanation for anything that had just been addressed to her. Eragon was hardly going to comment. After everything that had happened, he wasn't ready to begin thinking it all over at the moment.

As they were starting to cross a bridge, they were quick to be stopped. Both twins jumped as a green meteor shot at the bridge, causing the entire thing to buckle. The next thing Eragon knew, he was tumbling to the ground - still holding onto his sister's hand.

* * *

**So, this is a companion story my friend and I really wanted to write. Keep in mind this is AU. I will try my best to portray the original text, but it is hard to gather all of the exact conversations. And we will be adding in other things - as we have two characters. I really hope you guys like this story. Be sure to leave us a Kudos, Bookmark, or a Comment. Thanks a whole bunch!**


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